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Microsoft Launches New 'WinXP Game Advisor'

Windows XP users now have a start-to-finish solution that makes it easy for them to find the most compelling games for their personal computer. The Windows XP Game Advisor answers the commonly asked questions, “What game should I buy? Is it appropriate for my children? Will it run on my computer?” The Windows XP Game Advisor lets people try before they buy. They can look at screenshots, watch trailers, try a free demo and then order the game online, knowing that the game can be played on their PC.

“The Game Advisor is designed to help the millions of people out there who are looking for a way to have fun and take a break,” said Dean Lester, general manager of Windows Graphics and Gaming Technologies at Microsoft Corp. “Many of them already own a powerful gaming machine — a computer with Windows XP — but aren’t sure which games are right for them. The updated Game Advisor answers the system requirement questions that people new to gaming on Windows are often unsure about. Now you can pick the perfect game, and buy it with the confidence that it’s also a good match for your PC.”

Developed with Futuremark Corp., the industry leader in benchmarking software with PCMark and 3DMark, the Windows XP Game Advisor helps people find great gifts for a friend or for themselves. Users select a game genre, from Action to Family to Strategy, and the age range of the gamer. They are then presented with a list of game titles that are age-appropriate and invited to test their machine to make sure it meets the system requirements. The Game Advisor makes the process simple by checking the computer, and then displaying a straightforward graph that shows if their PC can play the game. It also includes links to informative articles to help improve the gaming experience, and features more than 170 games from nearly three dozen publishers.

Microsoft is working closely with the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) to link game listings to the various rating categories for age appropriateness created by the ESRB, the “best media rating system in existence,” according to U.S. Sen. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut*.

“By utilizing the ESRB ratings as a key sort criteria, the Windows XP Game Advisor can help parents make informed buying decisions — and the wise choices we encourage consumers to make,” said Patricia Vance, president of the ESRB. “We want to make sure that parents, who are often unfamiliar with the wide range of content in games, use the tools that the ESRB provides in bringing home appropriate games for their families.”